The Watermelon Woman

There are hundreds upon thousands of lesbian movies, and the majority are labelled "Adult". Name one lesbian movie about black women that isn't pornographic? Watching this one was something I could relate to. Finally, a movie touching on black history, interracial attraction, stereotypes, and the fictional day-in-the-life of an aspiring film-maker. More original than most, speaking as a black woman. Excuse the bad technology, and you've got a story about a woman researching her black history and getting laid in the process! Maybe she couldn't get the rights to do "The Aunt Jemima Story". You know, that black maid who's face stared back at you from the pancake box, having gone through a few make-overs through the years? There's even a scene where Cheryl holds up movie stills of black actresses playing the usual slave/maid who become unknowns in the process. Well, this is one important movie for me, and I hope more people appreciate this as they listen to Cheryl's closing monologue. Now this movie deserves a remake!

6/10

When we first see clips of old film actor Fae Richards, the person the protagonist (Cheryl Dunye) is researching, it's immediately apparent that she's fictional, and I initially thought it was an unfortunate choice. But as it played out, it hit me: what does it say when a black lesbian director invents this person, and the researcher has a hard time finding information on her? Probably that there simply was not adequate representation, and that history is usually whitewashed. At the end of the credits, the line "Sometimes you have to create your own history" gave me goosebumps. Along the way there are things on the surface that will undoubtedly draw reactions - the wildly uneven acting and indie production value, and a sex scene that seemed restrained and erotic to me but which unfortunately drew the ire of conservatives in Congress. Aside from the representation the film gives us, it's filled with things that critique the world this woman lives in. There's the obvious barb in the fictional actor being dubbed "Watermelon Woman" and being famous for her role in "Plantation Memories." Another is the librarian explaining to her that she should check the "black reference" files for the old film star, and the silent little look she exchanges with her friend. There's also the white film professor explaining how modern black scholars have it wrong relative to the offensiveness of the "mammy" figure, which was brilliant. It comes within the community too; when her friend frowns upon the relationship she's having with a white woman, she says it's nobody's business who she's having sex with. Amen. Despite the choppiness of a few scenes which almost seem like parodies of themselves, I genuinely enjoyed this film. It's creative, empowering, and well-paced in its 85 minutes. There's also something pretty powerful about the message at its center.

The Watermelon Woman (1996) was written and directed by Cheryl Dunye. Dunye also stars. The film introduction included the information that this was the first movie to be directed by an openly lesbian Black director.

We learned that Dunye was a film student who wanted to make a documentary about Black women in 1930's movies. Except for movies made for Black audiences, Black women were invariably cast as servants or slaves. Very often their names didn't appear in the movie credits.

Rather than actually doing the documentary, Dunye made a narrative film about a woman (herself) trying to make the documentary. It sounds strange, but it makes sense when you're watching it.

We saw the movie at Rochester's wonderful Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. It will work well enough on the small screen. It's not a movie for everyone, but it's an important film, and worth seeing.

The Watermelon Woman (1996) -

I suppose that as a homosexual white British man, I probably wasn't exactly the target audience for this Black, Lesbian film from the U. S., although that in itself goes against my belief that people should explore genres out of their comfort zone, because otherwise they will never know if there is more to life. I could certainly see the appeal of this one for some and the message it was trying to get out. I just didn't like the sex scenes very much (Eek Boobies!).

For the most part, the story was fictionalised and the title character of "The Watermelon Woman" was a vehicle to discuss the injustices of racial bigotry in the world of cinema since the dawn of it's creation and to a certain extent the rest of the time since too.

Although this film did indicate some essence of racism towards white people, for the fact that they allegedly can't understand the persecutions faced by the black community and I wondered if that was deliberate or something that was a missed irony.

The lead character Cheryl played by the writer and director Cheryl Dunye wanted to track down the movements of The Watermelon Woman's past to find out what had happened to her and she studied the golden age of cinema in order to do so. Her journey was quite interesting. I did have to wonder if the whole film might have actually been better if it was presented as a documentary, about actual, real actors of the past that weren't given their dues accordingly.

There was a mention of Hattie McDaniel included here. She was famously snubbed at the Oscars when she went to receive her award for the part of Mammy in 'Gone With The Wind' (1939) and was made to sit in another room and only allowed to enter the main area for the presentation of her statue. Her story was partly covered in the TV series 'Hollywood' (2020) and I'm sure that wasn't delivered wholeheartedly or completely truthfully, because it was a very glamourised interpretation of the early years of Hollywood anyway and it dared to conceive an idea that perhaps these prejudices and things should have been exposed much earlier for their idiocy.

I did say that it might have worked better as a documentary, because I could see that Cheryl was obviously passionate about her message, but the acting really wasn't the best and the film quality was quite poor too, not even just the bits where it was filmed on an old video camera. There were some cheap and odd editing choices and many of the characters were a tad unfriendly while others were perfectly odd including the "Professor" and the C. L. I. T. volunteer (Sarah Schulman).

The style of it actually reminded me of 'Tangerine' (2015), a trans/drag film which was filmed entirely on a smart phone. There were similarities in the direction and the attempt at realism, but this film was far less obnoxious of course, because 'Tangerine' was vile.

It also had a hint of 'Not Another Gay Movie' (2006) too. Those producers, etc must surely have taken inspiration from this film, because the video shop was almost identical.

Not really my thing, but I would definitely recommend it to the appropriate people, because I know some that would appreciate it for its various plus points.

606.19/1000.

A cause for celebration, this 20th Anniversary DVD release. The Watermelon Woman was a revelation back in 1996 and it is -- shame on us -- perhaps even more to-the-point today.

Seated by myself at the Film Forum here in NYC, 1996, a gay non-Black guy, I was expecting a variation on the Melvin Van Peebles satire from the early seventies, The Watermelon Man. But a mere five minutes into The Watermelon Woman, I knew I was in the presence of something special, indeed. Here was a tsunami of vivid, fresh air.

Cheryl Dunye -- writer, director, star -- had created something utterly new. Here she was, placing a Black Lesbian at the center, unapologetic about her same-sex longing and needs, about her rich magnetic Blackness, her fierce yet tender femaleness. For me, used to seeing Lesbians or gay men like myself held up for mockery or derision or contempt, it was a revelation to see Lesbians portrayed as just part of the human tapestry, regular people making it through the day, paying bills, falling in and out of lust and love.

For that alone, The Watermelon Woman deserves high praise. But it is about so much more. For Ms. Dunye uses her Blackness to probe an America which has never come to terms with its deep racist history. Ms. Dunye confronts it with wit and candor. Her character is researching a beautiful Black actress from the 1930s, who never received a credit in her films. It's like she never existed, a mere celluloid presence, nothing more.

As she probes deeper into the actress's past, Ms. Dunye begins peeling away her own reality. As both a Lesbian and a Black woman, in an America which marginalizes Lesbians, Blacks, women. She is forced to question assumptions about what it means to be a Lesbian and both a woman and a woman of color.

And here is where The Watermelon Woman becomes as timely as it was back in 1996. For in confronting her own marginalization, Ms. Dunye makes crystal clear why today's Black Lives Matter is so important to today's America. Like any work of art -- and make no mistake, The Watermelon Woman is a work of art, indeed -- meanings change over time. And though Black Lives Matter hadn't yet become a rallying cry, its genesis is inherent in The Watermelon Woman.

Cheryl Dunye, you and The Watermelon Woman are a oner!